


The Artist's Muse

by Dragestil



Series: Bows and Bullets [9]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Roommates, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 06:16:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13675977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragestil/pseuds/Dragestil
Summary: Valentine's Day is nearly over, but Hanzo hasn't even left the apartment. What's kept him so busy, though?





	The Artist's Muse

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my work and would like to read more of it or request something, please check out my [Tumblr](http://dragestil.tumblr.com/)

“Whatcha doin’ there, partner?” Jesse said, swinging around the corner at the end of the hallway with a lopsided grin and overenthusiastic finger guns.

“Up late as well, then?” Hanzo replied, not looking up from the computer screen.

“I was out with the boys at the bar. It’s Valentine’s Day!”

“Is it already? I didn’t- Interesting.”

“How long have you been in here?”

“How long have you been out there?”

“Hanzo, c’mon. You’ve been workin’ on that piece all day and halfway through the night! Have you even eaten?”

“I am just finishing it up.”

“You said that when I left.”

“You left?”

Jesse exhaled in a disbelieving huff as he marched past the kitchen to the counter that separated their living space from their cooking space. Hanzo had yet to look away from his work.

“You’re comin’ with me,” Jesse said as he set his hand on Hanzo’s shoulder.

“Fu- Oh, it’s you,” Hanzo stammered, having jumped at the touch.

“You’ve gotta get outta here.”

Hanzo snapped his head to the side to look his roommate in the eye. The sudden movement made his head spin though, and he blinked slowly to settle the world down. Maybe Jesse was right. He hadn’t made any significant changes at all in hours, instead going back and forth over a few small details. His eyes could barely focus on the screen anymore. He shifted back to scoot the stool a bit away from the counter.

“Take it slow there, Han. You look exhausted and starving,” Jesse said as he shifted to offer his arm for support. Hanzo almost pushed it away, but the world started spinning again when he started to stand. “Easy, easy. You gotta take better care of yourself.”

“I just want it to be good. I have to get a good grade on this.”

“What even is it? You’re always so busy, I never wanna ask.”

“You can look,” Hanzo answered quickly, gesturing weakly at the computer and deferring to his art. “It’s just not good enough yet.”

Jesse turned his gaze to the screen. He had never found the courage to ask about the art, and was even more nervous about stealing a look while his roommate worked. It was rare enough when Hanzo offered to let him see final, graded pieces. He was entirely unprepared for what lay on the digital canvas before him.

It was him, sprawled out on the couch, one leg hanging over the back and one arm sagging off the edge. He was shirtless and in sweats. The apartment around him was dimly lit. His fluffy, ginger lion was curled up on his bare chest, and they both seemed to be sleeping. In the image, he looked so relaxed. In reality, his breath was caught in his chest and his fingers gripped Hanzo’s wrist tightly.

“J-jesse? Are you alright?” Hanzo asked, free hand moving to grasp Jesse’s shoulder. “I- You- you said I could draw you and-”

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Jesse murmured as he stared at the painstaking recreation of a moment he was sure he had lived dozens of times. “I just- I figured it was- I dunno, Hanzo, I figured you were just doin’ a sketch or somethin’. I didn’t think you were gonna do it for a grade or posed like that.”

“Is that not alright?” Hanzo replied quickly. “I can do-”

“Hanzo. You aren’t going to start a whole new project just ‘cause of me. And it’s not that it’s not alright, it’s just. You spent so much time on this. Just a picture of...me. I’m not worth all that.”

“You’re not worth it? You must be joking.”

“I only asked you to draw me as a joke! I didn’t wanna be one of those people who just asks their artist friends for free art! I just wanted to see what I’d look like if someone good at art could draw me. And then I figured you forgot since a while passed. Wait. Have you been workin’ on this all since then?”

“No. It took me some time to decide how to draw you.”

“How?”

“What style, what reference, what perspective, what lighting. I could not sit down and sketch just one thing and give it to you immediately. How would that reflect on your opinion of me as an artist? I needed to make it worth it. I also needed to make it fit my professor’s instructions for this assignment.”

Jesse let out a faint chuckle that seemed to bring him back to his senses somewhat.

“Of course ya did. Gotta make sure the professor likes it.”

“Actually I am attempting to make him hate it.”

“You’re doin’ what?”

“He has expressed disapproval of men choosing to focus strictly on drawing other men. I have heard people say that artists are more open-minded. My professor did not cause that rumour. This assignment asks us to create a picture that represents a feeling of comfort at home. He has been encouraging the other guys in the class to draw their girlfriends - actual or dream - when asked for suggestions or examples.”

“Comfort at home?” Jesse repeated, voice far smaller than he intended.

“Yes. You and Chaos and Yuki make this a home,” Hanzo answered, motioning back toward the screen. Jesse realised he had missed Hanzo’s slim, white cat sleeping under the coffee table in front of the couch. “This has become my home.”

“And having a picture of a guy sleeping shirtless would piss him off. But didn’t you say you needed a good grade?”

“I do. And he will have to give it to me. The head of the art department is sitting in on our reviews to see our progress. If it’s technically perfect, he can’t fail me for drawing something he does not like.”

“But...I mean not that I don’t think that’s amazing - I do and it is - but didn’t you get tired of, well, me? You’ve been staring at that thing all day and there I am just...there...laying..."

“You think I could get tired of looking at you?”

“Y’know, Han, don’t you need to get somethin’ to eat? We’ve been here chattin’ while you’re there starvin’, we should get you some food,” Jesse interjected rapidly, chasing his tongue to change the subject before he had to deal with that whole can of worms. Some things he’d rather not know, and some feelings he’d rather not consider.

“Jesse, that will not work. We must talk about this.”

“Fine,” Jesse groaned, “but first we’re getting a snack and sitting down somewhere.”

Hanzo nodded, and Jesse was glad to pass a few silent moments helping Hanzo to his feet and shuffling into the kitchen. It was so easy to fall into daily rituals, mutually acquired habits. As Hanzo considered the assorted beverages in their fridge, Jesse found himself browsing their amply stocked cupboards. In a couple minutes, they sat down on the couch, setting a bowl of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa on the coffee table in front of them. The dim lighting in the room reminded Jesse of the painting still pulled up on the computer screen.

“Will you talk with me now?” Hanzo asked.

“Yeah,” Jesse sighed in response, running a hand back through his hair. “I don’t get how you wouldn’t get tired of starin’ at my face, let alone drawin’ it for hours and hours. It looks just like me! I can’t even guess how long it’s taken you to make it that good! Why would you spend so much time on me?”

“You do remember that you wrote an entire profile piece on me for your English composition class, right? That did happen?”

“Yeah, but you’re you! You’re an international student, you came in on an _art_ scholarship, you’re _the_ Hanzo Shimada! I’m Jesse McCree, from the middle of nowhere, New Mexico, boring ass English lit/journalism major.”

“You’re Jesse McCree, who wrote an editorial in the paper telling the new dean that he would be better off quitting if he was so opposed to a student organisation for queer people.”

“You know about that?”

“You always mention when you’re having something you’ve done show up in the paper. I make sure to read them.”

“So you saw the one where I did the profile of the Queer Alliance?”

“Of course! It was a very good profile! I did not know you were so connected with the group.”

“You’ve guessed I’m gay, haven’t you?” Jesse murmured, rubbing the back of his head and staring at the carpet at his feet.

“You say that as if it is a bad thing.”

“Y-you don’t mind? I- I mean. It’s not. I didn’t think you would _mind_ mind. But. We’ve been living together. And we’ve walked in on each other in the bathroom before. And. I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.”

“Did you say it was Valentine’s Day?”

“Y-yes? Does it matter?”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, from your secret fan,” Hanzo said before leaning in to press a swift kiss to Jesse’s cheek while his own flushed deeply.

“You! You’ve been-! How long?!”

“A month or two after you showed me the profile you did on me. That was when your profile on the Queer Alliance showed up in the paper, and I realised that I might have a chance. I was rushing to finish that piece before - well before Valentine’s Day. I missed the deadline it seems. But I hoped you would see it, and feel the way I did when I read your profile. I do not know how to explain how it felt to know you spent so much time making me sound so good. After your article about queer people on campus, I wrote you that small note from a fan.”

“And all the ones every other time I’ve published something since then?”

“Yes.”

“I- I need to ask. Just...to hear you say it.”

“I am bisexual. I do not participate in the Queer Alliance because the president sent me a dick pic when he got my number to work out arrangements for me to design the logo for the group and I cannot look at him seriously anymore. Does that cover what you need to know?”

“Absolutely,” Jesse replied, taking a moment to pause and process before grinning and turning to face Hanzo. “Y’know what this calls for?”

“What?”

“A celebration!”

Jesse did not wait for a response. Moving forward quickly, he captured Hanzo’s face in his hands and kissed him on the lips. Hanzo leaned into the kiss and returned it eagerly. He had been waiting for so long to find the perfect moment, and now he could think of no better way for it all to happen than this. Jesse’s hands moved from Hanzo’s cheeks to his sides while Hanzo shifted to straddle Jesse’s lap.

“I hope you’ve wanted this as much as I have,” Jesse breathed, forehead pressed against Hanzo’s as their lips lingered an inch or two apart from each other’s. “Because I really want it, but only if you really do too. You’re my best friend and roommate first. I don’t wanna fuck that shit up.”

”I want it. I am the one who chose to sit on your lap. This is exactly how I want to spend my Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh thank god. I have condoms on my nightstand if you wanna take this somewhere more comfortable.”

“Don’t ever lose your romantic charm,” Hanzo laughed before standing and offering Jesse his hand. “But I have been eager to see if your new bed is as comfortable as mine.”

“Lead the way!”


End file.
